2010 NBA Draft, Who Ya Got, Avery Bradley or Eric Bledsoe?

TRW continues its “Who Ya Got?” column with a look at Avery Bradley of Texas and Eric Bledsoe of Kentucky.

Here, two of our writers each took a player and made their case for that particular player.

The conversation doesn’t end with our opinions though, so in the comments let us know: Who Ya Got?
The Case for Avery Bradley — Guard | 6′3″ | 180 lbs

A 6’3” shooting guard for the Texas Longhorns, Avery Bradley may have to adjust to playing point guard in the NBA as he is undersized at the two spot. Although only playing one year under head coach Rick Barnes, Bradley had a solid year for Texas in the Big 12; his best performance coming at home against Colorado, going off for 29 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.

It’s hard to project how Bradley will perform as a point guard at the next level because he was rarely asked to do so in college. He only averaged two assists per night; with six assists against Iowa State being the most he had all year. Being a shooting guard, you would expect much more from Bradley at the charity stripe. He struggled mightily there, only hitting 55 percent of his shots................
The Case for Eric Bledsoe — Guard | 6′2″ | 192 lbs

Eric Bledsoe spent his freshman season playing behind John Wall at Kentucky. What many people don’t know is that Bledsoe is more of a point guard than a shooting guard, despite his ability to score that he showed while at Kentucky. He possesses length and speed that rivals any player in his class and that translates well on his ability to defend either guard position at the next level.

The best game we saw Bledsoe play from a scouting perspective was probably the game he dominated Eastern Tennessee State where he put up 29 points on eight of nine shooting from behind the arc.

From a physical standpoint Bledsoe is undersized, but measured out well at the combine with a long wingspan that should help him to guard shooting guards at the next level. It isn’t proven that he could run an offense, but we have faith that he’ll be able to revert back to his high school skill set. That will be a big question going forward for Bledsoe though.............

After reading that, you'd take Bradley??? It basically says that there's no reason to think Bradley can play PG, and he's crap from the line. Meanwhile it says that Bledsoe is a PG, can score and defend. Just based on that, I can't see how anyone would take Bradley.

Even without that, I'd take Bledsoe, but I think he'll go in the high teens, so if the Raptors want to draft him, they should probably get a pick in there.

Everyone always makes an issue of these combo guards coming out of college not being able to adjust to the point guard position, but its always overblown. That being said, I think Bradley may be available in the 20's if we buy a pick

Everyone always makes an issue of these combo guards coming out of college not being able to adjust to the point guard position, but its always overblown. That being said, I think Bradley may be available in the 20's if we buy a pick

Actually, it's underblown. The fact is the vast majority of combo guards struggle and most don't make the adjustment. If any of them ever find success it's usually as a bench player playing limited minutes.

Everyone always makes an issue of these combo guards coming out of college not being able to adjust to the point guard position, but its always overblown. That being said, I think Bradley may be available in the 20's if we buy a pick

OverBlown ??
Can you name few of them which were successful in NBA as a PG ?
we can then look at their stat in collage and see what that say about Bradley.

I still do not understand why Raptors want to take this guy and force him into PG position. Did he play PG in high school ?

Sorry, that you didn't feel we made a strong enough case for either player. This close to the NBA Draft, we're a little bogged down, hopefull you'll keep coming to the site and look at all of our other work.

From now on we'll go more in depth, and we are always open to feedback [email protected].

We're also taking on writers, so if you're interested/think you can do better feel free to submit a sample.

With that being said, here's more on each prospects strength/weaknesses.

Eric Bledsoe:

Strengths:
• Long wingspan makes up for his lack of height, can give players fits with his long arms and outstanding athleticism
• Unbelievably fast, withdecent strength, so he can keep up with any point guard, but also fight back if a bigger pg tries to bully him
• Offensively relies on his speed to beat his man, and has the ability to change speed and direction well
• Handles the ball with both hands well
• Very good set-shooter, so when given enough space can knock it down
• Fantastic defender who uses his length and speed to give players a really hard time on the ball
• When on the ball or when needing a stop he is very aggressive and focused

Weaknesses
• Tends to over dribble the ball when playing limited minutes for Kentucky this season
• When attacking the basket didn’t show the body control that someone like Warren/Bradley did which led to frequent turnovers
• Not as comfortable finishing through contact
• Slow release, which wasn’t a concern at Kentucky when he was the fourth option, but something to keep an eye on in the league
• Didn’t show the ability to pull-up off the dribble, could have been because of his role with the Wildcats, but nothing to suggest that he’s a good shooter off the dribble
• Struggles in general getting his shot off when defended, or closed out on quickly
• When defending off the ball is much lazier than when on the ball

Avery Bradley

Strengths
• Consistent shooter who, when on, can be an absolutely lethal scorer
• Understands spacing, so in three on three situations shouldn’t struggle to realize soft spots and where to get to on the floor, in five on five not as effective
• Controls his body well coming off screens and off the dribble, allowing him to be square and on balance when shooting seemingly difficult shots
• Doesn’t need much space to get his shot off
• Isn’t phased by having a defender in his face
• Excelled finding his own shot in pick and roll situations pre-draft scrimmages
• Defensively could become a lockdown defender using his wingspan and works hard to get through screens and generally is a physical defender
• Was vocal leader in early predraft workouts
• Excels defending off the ball denying his man very well

Weaknesses
• Struggles with shot selection as he uses his balance to justify just about any shot he takes, no matter how bad
• Did not find the open man in the pick and roll situations in workouts this season, settling for his jumper which was falling that day, but may not be in the workout
• Struggles around the rim, much better from deep and in mid-range
• Not an advanced ball handler, relying on pump fake and jab step to create separation for his jumper
• Doesn’t have the real point guard ability of Bledsoe, or even Warren, in this years class
• Shies away from contact compared to the other players in this class

Sorry, that you didn't feel we made a strong enough case for either player. This close to the NBA Draft, we're a little bogged down, hopefull you'll keep coming to the site and look at all of our other work.

From now on we'll go more in depth, and we are always open to feedback [email protected].

We're also taking on writers, so if you're interested/think you can do better feel free to submit a sample.

With that being said, here's more on each prospects strength/weaknesses.

Eric Bledsoe:

Strengths:
• Long wingspan makes up for his lack of height, can give players fits with his long arms and outstanding athleticism
• Unbelievably fast, withdecent strength, so he can keep up with any point guard, but also fight back if a bigger pg tries to bully him
• Offensively relies on his speed to beat his man, and has the ability to change speed and direction well
• Handles the ball with both hands well
• Very good set-shooter, so when given enough space can knock it down
• Fantastic defender who uses his length and speed to give players a really hard time on the ball
• When on the ball or when needing a stop he is very aggressive and focused

Weaknesses
• Tends to over dribble the ball when playing limited minutes for Kentucky this season
• When attacking the basket didn’t show the body control that someone like Warren/Bradley did which led to frequent turnovers
• Not as comfortable finishing through contact
• Slow release, which wasn’t a concern at Kentucky when he was the fourth option, but something to keep an eye on in the league
• Didn’t show the ability to pull-up off the dribble, could have been because of his role with the Wildcats, but nothing to suggest that he’s a good shooter off the dribble
• Struggles in general getting his shot off when defended, or closed out on quickly
• When defending off the ball is much lazier than when on the ball

Avery Bradley

Strengths
• Consistent shooter who, when on, can be an absolutely lethal scorer
• Understands spacing, so in three on three situations shouldn’t struggle to realize soft spots and where to get to on the floor, in five on five not as effective
• Controls his body well coming off screens and off the dribble, allowing him to be square and on balance when shooting seemingly difficult shots
• Doesn’t need much space to get his shot off
• Isn’t phased by having a defender in his face
• Excelled finding his own shot in pick and roll situations pre-draft scrimmages
• Defensively could become a lockdown defender using his wingspan and works hard to get through screens and generally is a physical defender
• Was vocal leader in early predraft workouts
• Excels defending off the ball denying his man very well

Weaknesses
• Struggles with shot selection as he uses his balance to justify just about any shot he takes, no matter how bad
• Did not find the open man in the pick and roll situations in workouts this season, settling for his jumper which was falling that day, but may not be in the workout
• Struggles around the rim, much better from deep and in mid-range
• Not an advanced ball handler, relying on pump fake and jab step to create separation for his jumper
• Doesn’t have the real point guard ability of Bledsoe, or even Warren, in this years class
• Shies away from contact compared to the other players in this class

now, that's the info i'm talking about,. ya, sure i might check out your site and if i feel like writing for it i'll send in a sample.

Tim W. wrote:

The next time someone argues that Bradley would be a good pick for the Raptors, I'm going to point them to this thread. Those weaknesses of his are massive red flags.

ok, smarty pants who do you have then bledsoe, why? he's got some pretty massive weaknesses himself and were looking for dudes who can guard those pg's and sg's we aren't really caring about offense we have enough of that.

If Your Uncle Jack Helped You Off An Elephant, Would You Help Your Uncle Jack Off An Elephant?

Sometimes, I like to buy a book on CD and listen to it, while reading music.

The next time someone argues that Bradley would be a good pick for the Raptors, I'm going to point them to this thread. Those weaknesses of his are massive red flags.

The red flags are there, but nothing too surprising giving how talented Bradley was and how dysfunctional the Longhorns were. He forced up shots, but really he should be fine once he gets surrounded by better talent.

Feel like the Raptors will be taking him at 13 if Udoh and Aldrich are off the board.

The red flags are there, but nothing too surprising giving how talented Bradley was and how dysfunctional the Longhorns were. He forced up shots, but really he should be fine once he gets surrounded by better talent.

Feel like the Raptors will be taking him at 13 if Udoh and Aldrich are off the board.

So if he's surrounded by better talent his ball handling, passing and ability to run an offense will magically get better?

LBF wrote:

ok, smarty pants who do you have then bledsoe, why? he's got some pretty massive weaknesses himself and were looking for dudes who can guard those pg's and sg's we aren't really caring about offense we have enough of that.

I don't understand your first question, but the fact is that both Bledsoe and Bradley are excellent defense players who can also score. The biggest difference is that Bledsoe appears to be able to play the PG position, whereas Bradley doesn't. None of Bledsoe's weaknesses are fatal flaws, but being a 6'2 guard who can't play point IS a fatal flaw.

So if he's surrounded by better talent his ball handling, passing and ability to run an offense will magically get better?

I don't understand your first question, but the fact is that both Bledsoe and Bradley are excellent defense players who can also score. The biggest difference is that Bledsoe appears to be able to play the PG position, whereas Bradley doesn't. None of Bledsoe's weaknesses are fatal flaws, but being a 6'2 guard who can't play point IS a fatal flaw.

Actually it says Bledsoe can't score unless he's wide open and has a lot of time to get his shot off. Depending on what you're looking for, one could argue that Bledsoe's red flags are worse than Bradley's. What defines a point guard in the league these days anyways? If you take Derek Fisher, amazingly successful player, but never was the greatest in terms of distributing the ball. There are lots of examples of players like these. If the right players are around him, Bradley could be a very valuable piece. Besides, every team needs a designated lockdown defender, and everything else they're good at is just a bonus. Not being a pure point is not that big a deal.

Did you just name a bunch of guards who are smaller than the prototypical NBA shooting guard? =P

Did you note that the issue isn't how many small guards are successful in the league, but rather how many undersized SGs have made the transition to PG and running a team's offense successfully? Bet you didn't, because much of that list is of players making their way as SGs, which isn't the issue here.

Jennings has/had true point skills. Curry, though not a true point, at least played point pretty well his last NCAA year. I don't remember the last time Iverson was relied on to play the 1 -- in Philadelphia, he had Eric Snow handling thsoe duties -- but naming a potential HoFer doesn't prove anything. Crawford has made his living off being a shooting guard, and not even all that undersized. Westbrook, fine, but he also had some point guard experience in college, and even with the risk, he was still a guaranteed high lottery pick (unlike Bradley, who best case scenario is a lottery pick, and worst case is a late 1st-rounder). Monta Ellis is a good example, except you can see his risk and expectation were balanced by the fact he was drafted mid-2nd round. Arenas also slipped to the 2nd round. Barbosa, really? Aside from guarding point guards and subbing for the PG when necessary, when has he really played the point in any meaningful situation?

Combo guard is a confusing label, so let's try to break it down:
1) Point guard with scoring mentality;
2) Guard who can play both point guard and shooting guard well;
3) Guard who isn't big enough for SG, but doesn't have enough point skills to be a PG.

Remember, Bradley falls under #3, a very undersized shooting guard, who is being asked to convert to the 1 without any real experience. That's not very different from asking someone like Rashad McCants, Fred Jones or Juan Dixon to do the same. I don't think Tim is saying no team should draft Bradley, but that he's a reach for the lottery given his lack of experience. That he was ranked #1 going into college doesn't mean all that much. That's like picking up Joe Smith, Kwame Brown, or Olowankandi after their first NBA team passed on them simply because they used to be ranked #1. Even though Bledsoe played the 2 in college, he was a PG displaced by Wall's presence. He has the same wingspan and standing reach, as well as the same defensive potential. Moreover, he is actually pretty strong, unlike Bradley. He won't have as much offensive potential as Bradley, but he'll be more likely to work out as a PG.

For every Monta Ellis, there are guys like Daniel Ewing and Darius Washington.

So if he's surrounded by better talent his ball handling, passing and ability to run an offense will magically get better?

The fact he's a shooting guard makes me not overly concerned with his ability to run an offense. An yes, if playing with better players I think he'll be more likely to pass to the open man (since our weaknesses were primarily focused on his inability to find the open man in pick and roll situations).

Regarding his ball handling, I think its a small concern, but it wasn't like he was constantly turning the ball over like Bledsoe, posting a respectable A/T over ratio. Ditto for his passing, again he's a shooting guard, so not concerned too much.

Tim W. wrote:

I don't understand your first question, but the fact is that both Bledsoe and Bradley are excellent defense players who can also score. The biggest difference is that Bledsoe appears to be able to play the PG position, whereas Bradley doesn't. None of Bledsoe's weaknesses are fatal flaws, but being a 6'2 guard who can't play point IS a fatal flaw.

Bradley doesn't have a problem getting his shot off, just his shot selection, which again we feel was a product of playing at Texas. Even as a defensive specialist and spot up shooter he can have a long productive career.

The fact he's a shooting guard makes me not overly concerned with his ability to run an offense. [...] Ditto for his passing, again he's a shooting guard, so not concerned too much.

Just so we're clear here, Raptors fans aren't looking for him to be a shooting guard. If we draft him, it will be as our PG of the future, which is where the concern lies. DeRozan is slated to be our SG of the future.

TheRookieWall wrote:

Also, closer to 6' 4" than 6' 2"

Why don't we just say he's 6'3.25" with shoes. If you say closer to 6'4", everyone here will start jumping with joy. He is the same height in shoes as Monta Ellis when he was measured before the draft, but a bit shorter without shoes.

Actually it says Bledsoe can't score unless he's wide open and has a lot of time to get his shot off. Depending on what you're looking for, one could argue that Bledsoe's red flags are worse than Bradley's. What defines a point guard in the league these days anyways? If you take Derek Fisher, amazingly successful player, but never was the greatest in terms of distributing the ball. There are lots of examples of players like these. If the right players are around him, Bradley could be a very valuable piece. Besides, every team needs a designated lockdown defender, and everything else they're good at is just a bonus. Not being a pure point is not that big a deal.

I fear that we may be overstating Bradley's defense, much like we did when we signed Jarrett Jack. Don't get me wrong, he's a good defender, but a 6'3" tweener guard is liable to be punished in the league quite easily. He has the quickness to defend PG, so he should help prevent some of the penetration Jack/Calderon allowed. If you play him heavy minutes (which is what I'm reading his role will be), teams will pick on his size.

I think he'll be fine, but "designated lockdown defender" is selling his stock way too high for me.